A U.S. fighter jet fired upon and disabled an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on May 6, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced.
CENTCOM, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said U.S. forces determined the Iranian-flagged crude oil tanker M/T Hasna was sailing toward an Iranian port on Wednesday, despite a U.S. blockade that has been in effect since April 13. According to CENTCOM, U.S. forces notified the tanker that it was sailing in violation of the blockade, and issued multiple warnings to the vessel.
At around 9 a.m. ET (5 p.m. local time), after Hasna’s crew failed to heed the U.S. warnings, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln dispatched an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet to stop the vessel. The fighter jet fired a series of shots from its 20mm cannon to disable the tanker’s rudder, and the Hasna has since halted its course toward Iran.
The M/T Hasna was unladen at the time of the incident.
The Wednesday intercept incident is one of dozens of instances in which U.S. blockade forces have prevented vessels from entering or exiting Iranian ports in the past three weeks.
As of May 6, CENTCOM reported U.S. forces had blocked or redirected more than 50 vessels attempting to conduct trade with Iran.
U.S. forces have previously employed disabling fire to enforce the blockade.
On April 19, the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance used its Mk. 45 five-inch deck gun to fire a series of inert rounds into the engine room of the Iranian-flagged container ship M/V Touska, to disable its propulsion and prevent it from bypassing the blockade.
This is a developing report. Please check back for updates.
